Seven Days
by BKK
Summary: March 12: Completed! Wonder Woman draws a line in the sand for Batman. Set in the JLU timeline, before Cadmus story line.
1. Sunday

I do not own any Justice League Characters.

"_Seven days was all she wrote. A kind of ultimatum note, she gave to me…" Sting_

When he tore into the Batcave, he had hoped to find her standing there. He knew she wouldn't be but the disappointment was there, regardless. He didn't know what he would have said, what hadn't been said a hundred times before but another chance to reason with those blue eyes and the brain behind them was something, well, worth driving home for.

_Another day, another conflict_, he thought bitterly. The latest conflict with the princess tugged at the back of his mind as he updated records, restocked his weapons and otherwise did his normal post-patrol wrap-up. The patrol had gone as they had recently – the cold weather seemed to produce good behavior in the criminal hearts of Gotham. It would be a short-lived time of relative peace, but one worth savoring. It should have been enough time to figure out what he was going to do about, well, _her._

What they felt for each other, he told himself wearily, was not the point. The point was that it was poor timing, a poor situation and he wasn't interested in being an Amazonian warrior's first experience at love in the Man's World.

_Scared, Bruce? _ The voice in his head mocked him and he smiled and whispered "_issues"_ as he wandered up into the mansion and towards his bed.

But, whatever the reason - once again, what had started as a run-of-the-mill mission between the friends had mutated into an argument about their relationship which only the timely arrival of criminals had put to an end. Wonder Woman had flown off afterwards and Batman had returned to Gotham for patrol. The petty bickering of Bruce and Diana would wait.

So occupied was the Dark Knight with his thoughts that it was not until he awoke several hours later that he found the silver tray that Alfred had left on his bedside table with the ivory card that, in Diana's handwriting, simply read "Seven Days."

_Ah, there it is,_ she thought as the communicator started to beep. She had been waiting for it with a mix of dread and joy. She was doing the right thing. There was no doubt about that. Once and for all, he would get out of her head.

"Good morning," she said as if she didn't know who it was.

"Want to tell me what this is about?" came the responding growl.

"Bruce. Again, good morning. I was upset after the ways things ended yesterday. I seem to tell you how I feel about you and then nothing happens. So, you have seven days – until 2am on Sunday morning - to figure it out. If you want to be trusted friends and team mates, then we shall be. If you want to be more than that, well, you know how I feel about you. I will not, however, wait indefinitely for you to get over your rich boy issues. If you want to explore a romantic relationship, you can tell me by 2am on Sunday morning and we can figure out what that means. If I don't hear from you in seven days, I will embrace you as my team mate and I will never, ever mention a deeper relationship again because, Bruce, I will move on."

She disconnected after that, not giving him a chance to respond.

Alfred opened the secret entrance to the Batcave just seconds before a pocket of chilled silence exploded up the stairs. When he was in a position to see Master Bruce, Alfred sighed silently, pretended not to notice the stance of a man who wanted to be _left alone_.

"Tea, sir?" he asked politely.

"She told you what she meant."

"Not exactly, sir," he said, putting the tea tray down on the table where it usually rested. "But, one does not have to be a detective at your level to guess the nature of the communication."

"And?"

It had been years since Master Bruce had asked for an opinion. Alfred felt for the boy he had raised. The boy had many, many gifts – one of them actually was a good heart – but he had no idea how to use it. At least not on his own behalf.

"It is not my place to comment, sir. However, as you have asked, I think you are good together. You can accept each other's roles in life. You make few demands of one another. I believe, if you wanted to, you could make each other very happy. The risks, sir, may be worth it."

There was a silence. Not the angry silence from moments before, almost a sad silence.

"Thank you, Alfred." The reply was quiet but neutral and clearly a dismissal.

"Very good sir," Alfred said and began his way back to the house. He stopped halfway, turned around and said "The only thing in this world better than a good friend is the right soul mate, sir."

With that, he disappeared back into the mansion.


	2. Monday

Chapter 2 - Monday

_For all those born beneath an angry star/Lest we forget how fragile we are:_ Sting

Diana, no _Wonder Woman_, had been preparing herself for the staff meeting by standing in front of the mirror doing some meditative breathing. The warrior wanted to go into the meeting, grab Batman by the neck and shake him until he said something. However, she knew she needed to follow the plan at least until it proved strategically weak. Something she found to be highly unlikely. She left her room and made her way to the conference room for the meeting.

"Oh good! We can be late together!" Flash hollered as he came to a normal walking speed beside her. Wonder Woman smiled but attempted to hide it with a sip of her iced mocha.

"Good morning, Flash," she answered. "How are you?"

"Well, now that I don't have to face Bats alone late to a staff meeting, I'm doing okay. How are you?"

She wanted to say something about how she was not going to provide a good shield against Batman but knew there would be too many questions not worth answering. But small talk with Flash was easy and the two of them had fallen into banter by the time they got to the conference room door. As the door slid open, Wonder Woman realized they were late – granted only a minute – but late.

The other members of the senior staff sat around the table. Green Lantern and Superman were talking quietly about something. J'onn J'onzz seemed to be in a somewhat meditative state. Batman just glared.

"Hey guys! We're here," Flash said and less than a second later was sitting in his seat. Diana smiled and nodded at the group and slide into her seat.

The meeting ran smoothly, to the rest of the group it seemed like everything was normal. Until Superman opened up the meeting to other issues. Batman slide a folded newspaper section across the table toward Diana.

"I thought the group decided not to use their status for money," he growled.

Flash's face blushed nearly to the shade of his uniform.

"What are you talking about?" Diana said as she grabbed the newspaper. It was the society page's upcoming events. In bold type, the headline read "Wonder Woman to Dance for Women's Shelter."

Diana had made an effort to support battered women and family shelters all over Man's World since her arrival. Thoroughly disgusted with what some men would do, she felt this was a tiny way to help. When the new Metropolis shelter came to her regarding a fund raiser for a huge new shelter with training facilities and bigger rooms for families, she jumped at the chance. When the group had asked if she would be willing to dance with their bigger donors, Diana had spent hours with the group, discussing conditions and rules regarding the dancing. Having someone question the motivation behind it was, well, horrific.

"This?" she said as the rage began to boil and she stood up, leaning over the table towards Batman. "This is 'status for money'? We discussed this months ago, I am dancing with people at a fund raiser for the new battered women's shelter. And I am going to do it."

She flung the paper back at him and stood there, fighting the urge to fling herself at him and give him the throttling he desperately deserved.

"When we discussed it, you were appearing there." Batman's voice was calm but the undercurrent was dark. "Now, you are dancing with donors as part of a fund-raiser. That is an unnecessary risk to yourself, which means to us and it is using your status for money. Not money for you, but money."

"Risk?" It took all of Diana's noble upbringing to hold back the snort of disgust. "From one man? During a dance?"

Superman cleared his throat. "We did discuss this before. In fact, Lois and I have been assigned to cover the event." He looked at Diana whose rage was quickly transferring from Batman to him. "As a back-up."

Batman nodded at Superman. "Fine. But three days is more than enough time for criminal mind to turn this into an opportunity. Charity work is a good thing, a great thing but publishing our calendars in the newspaper for anyone with a vendetta is a stupid, unnecessary risk. Do what you are going to do – I'll be on patrol and out of contact."

"All right," said Superman, visibly glad that the argument was over. "I think that's the meeting. Get back to work, everyone."

Diana, still standing, was deciding if she was going to continue the conversation with Batman, talk to Superman about "backup" or punch them both. Finally, since she wasn't on monitor duty for several hours, she decided to take her rage, frustration and hurt on the training room droids.

When Batman slid into the training room 45 minutes later, he came just in time to watch Diana kick one of the droids in the head – sending it across the room. He had wanted to follow her out – in an uncharacteristic move – to explain his concern and his knowledge of how good ideas can suddenly put so many in danger, but Superman had wanted to talk.

_When Clark notices unusual behavior, it is a bad sign_, he thought as he watched Diana continuing her training exercises. But he had. Superman had asked what Wonder Woman had done to make him so angry – a direct question that he had avoided answering. He knew that he was the only one Clark allow to do that.

He was just deciding the best moment to alert her to his presence when a droid came flying towards him – missing him by about three inches.

"Princess, that was beneath you," he snarled and walked out of the shadow.

Diana paused the training program and sipped from her water bottle before acknowledging his existence.

"Perhaps," she said and then, put her hands on her hips and waited.

"Are you wearing your armor?"

Diana sighed loudly. "No. The tiara and the bracelets. It is a formal event, I am going to dress appropriately."

"Naturally. But in case of an attack…"

She cut him off. "In case of an attack, I will be more than able to handle myself. The insinuation that I can't is, frankly, beneath you, to carry the theme. If that is what you wanted to discuss, I need to finish this work-out – I am on monitor duty soon."

"I just don't think you have realized exactly what an opportunity you have made for someone who wants to hurt you. The advance notice, the chance for close contact – anyone with some money and a twisted mind could take advantage of the situation. The expression 'no good deed goes unpunished' comes to mind."

Finally, some of the woman got through to the warrior and Diana realized what was happening. She took a deep breath and smiled, her tone now warm. "I appreciate the concern. I really do. And I am grateful that you came here to talk. But you need to trust me that I'll be okay."

And although she knew she shouldn't do it, she closed the distance between them, clasped his hand and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Before she let his hand go, she whispered "you can be sweet."

Leaving Batman to recover on his own, Diana glided out of the room in the first really good mood she had been in all day.


	3. Tuesday

Thank you for all the reviews! I am having a great time writing this! This pace will slow down though.

Chapter 3: Tuesday

_If I make up my mind, Wednesday would be fine: _Sting

Although he would be the last to admit it, there were times when, perhaps, Batman did spend too much time alone with his thoughts. Especially times when the freezing nights kept the activity on the streets to an absolute minimal.

On his regular patrol, when he knew of no special event that would require special attention, he was due to spend another 20 minutes at the top of the particular Gotham bank before moving on to his next vantage point. It was, however, becoming too much for even his famed focus to watch empty streets and look for possible danger.

"_You can be sweet"_ the voice echoed, filling him with the same mix of embarrassment and joy that had caused him to finish the training program that Diana had started before returning to a list of items that Bruce Wayne had been avoiding for weeks.

Frankly, now that he had the time to reflect, it probably was the joy that had disturbed him the most. He hadn't been trying to be _sweet. _He wasn't entirely sure he did _sweet._ Perhaps that is why they were good together, because she really did see the good in him. Not a mythical "good side" that everyone told him existed but he doubted strongly, but good in what he did. She saw the purpose and embraced that.

_But is that enough?_ He asked himself, knowing there really wasn't an answer. Did the risk outweigh the benefits? Usually, he admitted, Alfred was right and if Alfred thought it was a good idea…..

However, Alfred's good idea may well earn Bruce an Amazonian kick in the head, he thought with a smile.

"Phone for you, sir," Alfred had said several hours before when Bruce was handling Wayne Enterprise business from his study. "I think you will want to take it."

Obediently, Bruce picked up the phone and by the time Claire Montgomery, executive director of the Metropolis Women's Shelter had said two words, Bruce realized that Alfred had set him up.

"How are you, Bruce? When are you going to stop by and visit us?" she said brightly.

"Claire! How is my favorite executive director? Claire, you know I adore you, but your executive offices leave much to be desired. I'm waiting for my invitation to the grand opening of the new shelter."

"Bruce, you know there won't be one. We need to keep the location of the shelter safe, even from charming folks like you." Claire's voice went from cheerful flirt to dead serious back to charming flirt in one sentence. Even to Bruce, Claire's skill was impressive.

"Of course, of course. But I am sure you didn't call me to schedule a visit. What do you need?"

"Well, I am sure you got the invitation to our fund raiser and yet, I haven't heard from you."

"The Wonder Woman thing? Claire, that woman terrifies me. I don't need some Amazon princess glaring at me. I'll get nervous, I'll step on her toes and she will kill me. That is my vision of the evening."

"No. No! Have you met her? She's a sweetie. She's been taking dance lessons to get ready. She is wonderful and she will adore you! I have been holding a few spots on her dance card for some of my favorite people and you are on the list. Come on, bragging rights for, well, ever, really."

_Diana would kill me. She would think I was there for backup and she would kill me. This is a bad idea. _

"How many slots?"

"Two."

"For me? You are too kind. Tell you what, who is coming, press-wise? Not television – give me print and radio. I'll give a couple of those guys a thrill. No one knows who they are, it would be fun for them. Exclusive interview time."

"Well, there is no radio coming but we do have a group from the Daily Planet. Wonder Woman made me promise a small group of press so the Planet folks will be the ones to make the wire."

"Ah, so Lane and, what's his face? Kent?"

"Exactly. And a photographer."

"Male or female photographer?"

"Female."

"Last question – when are they on the dance card?"

"The second dance, so figure about 7:15 and one in about the middle of the program – closer to 8:00."

"Tempting, Claire. This is all very tempting. Okay, I definitely want Kent to have the 8:00 slot. Don't tell him until that night and don't tell him who it is from. It should be a surprise. Do you have to know now about the other one?"

"Bruce, everyone wants it. I need to know now."

"Who wants it?"

"Honey, everyone. Name someone, I'm sure he is on the list."

"And yet you are offering it to me, I must give you more than I think I do. Is she really taking dance lessons? Are you sure she isn't going to hurt me?"

"Bruce, stop being silly. She is part of the Justice League. Why on Earth would she want to hurt you?"

Alone, in the safety of his study, Batman smiled.


	4. Wednesday

Chapter 4- Wednesday

_Love is pain I hear you say/Love is a cruel and bitter way of/ Paying you back for all the faith you ever had in your brain_: Sting

Diana was flying back from a mission – a small mission really, helping to clear people in the path of a volcano – when her communicator buzzed.

"You know I wouldn't do this, but she is quite consistent," J'onn said smoothly.

"Claire?" Diana said with a small groan. "Put her through."

"Diana! How are you? Ready for tomorrow?"

"Yes, I believe so. You still haven't sent me the list of men I'm dancing with," she said tersely. "I need to know that."

"You still haven't gotten that? I'll see what is keeping Julia. But we filled the list. Your dance card is full!"

"Good. That is wonderful news. But the list, when can I get this list?"

"Soon, soon. Today. I will get it to you today. But there is no one to be worried about – they are all our biggest donors and I have known most of them for years. There are no surprises and no bad guys. The worst thing that will happen to you is you will get your toes trampled. I just wanted to confirm that you would be arriving at 6:15 on the dot."

"Yes. 6:15. But the list. Claire, don't make me ask again."

There was a pause during which time Diana could nearly hear the blood run out of Claire's face. "No, of course not."

"Thanks! I'll see you tomorrow!" Diana said cheerfully, to make sure the call ended on a good note.

"Okay! Be safe out there!"

Diana disconnected the call and found a nearby hilltop before she called the Watchtower. "I am ready for transport," she said and waited only a few seconds before she found herself back home.

She was halfway back to her room before she realized that she was fuming about not having the list. She knew why she wanted the list – the problem was there were two reasons and there should only be one. Making sure that there were no possible security threats was the only reason why she should have wanted the list. To see if Bruce was on the list was childish. It didn't really impact anything. If he was, fine, she would dance with him.

_If he wasn't._

Nothing. She wouldn't dance with him. There would be someone else instead and she was going to have a wonderful time and this wasn't about dancing or Bruce, it was about raising money for women who desperately needed her help.

Diana stopped mid-stride and took a deep breath. She needed focus. Her perceptive had been affected by this deadline. She would go to the Monitor Womb instead of her room to do her report. That would help.

When the door slid open and Diana saw the familiar outline, she sighed. _Hera, help me, _she pleaded before stepping in.

"Princess," Batman said. He had not turned around but Diana was certain he had a dozen reasons why he knew it was her. He was working off a sheet a paper and every few minutes would draw through an entry with a thick black market. It was very low-tech for Batman.

"Batman. I didn't realize you were on monitor duty."

"I'm not."

"You're the only other person in here and I'm not on duty."

"Yes."

_Fine, _she thought and went to an empty chair and got to work.

Wonder Woman's reports were legendary. Hawkgirl, before her resignation, used to tease her for turning a simple summary exercise into a full day's work. However, when the League expanded and J'onn started training the others on how to do the post-mission reports, it was Wonder Woman's reports that were used as examples. They were insightful – an overview of the mission objectives and goals, an in-depth summary of the outcome of the mission as well as strategic difficulties and how they were overcome. Occasionally there were notes about how other team members could have positively impacted the mission had they been assigned.

After 30 minutes, Diana looked up and realized that she was still alone with Batman. And he was sitting in front of the screen she needed to get an update on the volcano.

"Batman, can you tell me the current status of the Alamagan island volcano?"

"Bandeera Peak's ring fractures are filling with lava. The smoke from the caldera is very thick. I think you got all seven of the island's inhabitants out just in time," he said dryly, again without moving his eyes from his work.

She buried the nasty thought and smiled. "Thank you, that was my assessment as well." But he was bringing out the competitor in her. "Moving their homes intact to Guam was, obviously, the most challenging part."

She could swear a corner of his mouth flickered but it was gone too quickly to confirm. "Obviously," he said as he drew another line on the sheet. She laughed quietly as she went back to work. When Batman finally looked over, she told him about trying to get some livestock into one of the homes before carrying it off and how she ended up lassoing a goat and carrying it with her as she moved the home. He chuckled a bit at the story, especially the picture of her having to take a dip in the ocean after the trip to clean up. He told her a story of loose animals in Gotham and what they had done to the Batmobile.

When Diana returned to her work, she realized that the tension was gone and that for the first time since she had left her note, they had a normal, pleasant interaction. It reminded her why she thought a relationship with him was worth pursuing. And it made her realize she had just been angry for the past several days for no reason. No matter what Batman decided, the decision was not going to be made before it had to be. Hoping for something else was foolish.

She felt the anger leave her.

_See? Perspective. That is all I needed._

She had nearly finished her report when Flash entered.

"Thanks for filling in, Bats. And thanks for the extra time to eat! I was famished."

Batman nodded at the Speedster. "It is always best if you eat far away from machinery."

Batman turned to Diana while the Flash made faces. "The shelter sent your list. There is one name of interest."

He handed her the paper. The list was entirely blacked out with the exception of one line that read: Dance 8 (8:20pm) - Lex Luther.

"How is this the first time we have seen the list?" Superman shouted. "This gives us less than 24 hours to figure out what he is up to. We can't do it, Wonder Woman, you are just going to have to cancel."

"For Luther?" Diana was stunned. "He has spent the last six months trying to fix his image. This is probably just a ploy to be seen socially with one of us so he can convince everyone that he has changed. I'm not canceling."

Superman looked over at Batman who had said nothing since telling Superman that he needed to come to the conference room. He had handed Superman the paper without a word and had left it to Diana to explain the significance of the page.

When Batman said nothing, Superman tried the direct approach. "Your thoughts on this?"

"Glad I'm not going to be there."

Superman shook his head. "Can we get anyone else in there? Green Arrow? Could he get an invite? Ollie would fit in." Superman asked looking back at Diana who, in both rage and frustration, found herself thinking about picking up Batman and throwing him at Superman.

"Clark! Listen!" Diana ordered in what Flash called her "royal command tone." She didn't use it often, but it worked. Superman stopped, clearly mid-thought and focused on the princess.

"Consider it for a moment," she said less sternly but with the same authority in her voice. "Luther isn't going to do anything that hurts only a few of us if he is going to get caught. There are TV cameras and reporters there. He knows we aren't all going to be there. He is only going to let himself be caught in the act if he takes us all out, which he can't. Let us see what he is up to, if anything, before we let him now we are watching him. Make sure the Watchtower security is tight in case he tries something here when he can prove he is in Metropolis and call any personnel not on a critical mission back here for the evening for a tighter watch. Metropolis is probably the safest place to be tomorrow night, in terms of Luther."

"That makes sense," Superman said. "Batman, what do you think?"

"Make sure Lantern and J'onn are here."

That, Diana realized, was Batman's way of agreeing with her. Although she knew she was right, she was grateful for his support. If the two of them agreed on something, Superman would agree with it as well.

"All right, then," Superman said. "Diana, work with J'onn please on seeing who is where and who can come home. Batman, can I assume you are going to see if you can figure out what Lex is up to?"

"You can," Batman confirmed.

"Thanks. Keep me posted. I am going to head to the Daily Planet to see if we are missing something."

Batman looked at him that clearly suggested that it was a waste of Superman's time but the Kryptonian missed it as he was already headed out the door.

When they were alone, Diana turned to Batman. "And can I assume you are not going to tell me who else is on that list?"

"You can," Batman confirmed with what passed for a grin from him.

She smiled back, realizing that without ever seeing the complete list, she had her answers.

"Thank you, that answers my question."


	5. Thursday

I don't own the Justice League characters nor do I have any affiliation with either the Ritz Carlton or Dolce & Gabbana.

Chapter 5: Thursday

_When we dance/Angels will run and hide their wings_: Sting

"This is Snapper Carr with a live report from outside the Metropolis Ritz Carlton Hotel where we are moments away from the Metropolis Women's Shelter Gala which features Wonder Woman as a dance partner to major donors. Wonder Woman, who we are told is wearing a black Dolce & Gabbana halter gown with a lace trimmed plunging V-neck and a slit up the front. The jewelry, we understand, is from her private collection. We will have footage as soon as possible. Eleven dances were offered to donors between 7 and 9pm. Each dance is 10 minutes long and she gets a 15-minute break between 7:45 and 8:00pm. As you can imagine, these dances went quickly…"

Diana turned off the television of her hotel room and took a deep breath. Claire had insisted that she get a room at the hotel so that she could get ready for the dance in peace. The hotel, long used to VIPs, had several rooms with backdoor access to the ballroom and Diana was glad that she wasn't going to walk through a crowd when she made her entrance. She was ready. She had decided only seconds before that she wasn't going to wear the tiara – it just didn't look right with a black dress – but now that she had solved that, she felt ready to start the evening.

She heard a knock at the door and when she opened it, she saw Claire, who was wearing a dark green gown that highlighted her eyes and her fair skin. She was flushed with excitement.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked.

"Yes. Claire, the tiara looks off with this dress, are you all right with that? I know I said I would."

"Oh, that's no problem at all. I agree with you, don't wear it. You look stunning. You should see the crowd gathering. Thank you again for doing this – I can't tell you how much this means to the shelter."

"It is my pleasure, really."

Claire smiled and stepped into the hallway so Diana could exit the room.

"Okay, quick review time. I will walk you to the back door and then I will introduce you. You don't make any formal remarks, but you have about 15 minutes of cocktail party time before the band starts. I will call you and your first partner to the floor and I will continue to introduce your dance partners to you as the evening continues. I know this is simple and we've gone over it a billion times, but do you have any questions?" Claire was in full work mode but she did manage a small grin.

"I think I have it. You and your team have done a wonderful job with this."

At this point, they had reached a set of double-doors – the entrance to the ballroom. On the other side of the door was a dance floor, a band, endless amounts of food and drink and about 300 people waiting for the party to start. Claire smiled before slipping out the door to the microphone.

Bruce was standing among what he referred to as the "Gotham delegation" – the absurdly rich and powerful society members in Gotham who managed to get invited to most major Metropolis events because their wealth and power knew no city limits. He had given Lois Lane and Clark a friendly hello and a nod, but as he wasn't expected to interact with them too much, he didn't. He was trying to look interested in the conversation about the new emergency room in the Gotham Children's Hospital and if rainbow décor was too overdone when Claire Montgomery stepped to the microphone.

_Ah, the green dress today_, he thought. Claire bought expensive dresses and then wore them as much as possible. In addition to her green dress, she had a blue dress and a black dress for these formal events.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Claire said into the microphone she borrowed from a band member. "Thank you so much for coming. My name is Claire Montgomery and I am the executive director of the Metropolis Women's Shelter. Welcome to our Winter Gala!"

The expected applause was loud but short.

Claire continued, thanking various sponsors and detailing the features of the new shelter before, at least in Bruce's opinion, getting to the point.

"And now, please join me in welcoming our honorary host for the evening, the Justice League's very own, Wonder Woman!"

The applause was loud and long as Diana opened the door and strolled into the ballroom. She waved and smiled warmly at the crowd.

Bruce was grateful that as Bruce Wayne, it was perfectly acceptable for his jaw to fall open. She was wearing a simple dress, but it hugged all of her curves and as she walked, the dress revealed pale skin up to her knees. Against the black, her skin glowed and there was so much of it. Her arms, her neck and a healthy part of her chest were all exposed by the V-neck that plunged to the bottom of her rib cage. The contrast between the dark material and her light skin made her eyes seem bluer and attention was drawn to them by a long pair of gold earrings that were clearly part of what she brought from the island.

_Get a grip, Bruce,_ he thought._ Her armor leaves much less to the imagination. Although this isn't armor. Not by a long shot._

His attention was diverted by a gentle laugh beside him and he turned just in time to see an elderly woman smack her equally elderly husband on the arm.

"I guess you aren't dead yet," she told him playfully.

The two men exchanged slightly embarrassed looks. But the woman smiled at them both before shaking her head. Bruce smiled as well and despite the longing to just continue to stare at Diana, he started watching the crowd.

_The advantage of being raised as a princess_, Diana thought lightly, _is that you learn how to mingle. _ Claire was taking her from group to group, introducing her to dozens of people. It had been a while since she had tapped the skills of small talk and a permanent smile, but they came back to her in a hurry and she found that she was having an excellent time.

Claire also seemed to be enjoying showing Diana off. She looked at her watch as they walked away from a group. "You've only got a few minutes until your first dance. I probably ought to let the media take some official photos of you before the party gets started."

She led Diana over to where the photographer from the Daily Planet was standing with Lois Lane and Clark Kent.

"Janet! Lois! Clark!" Claire called from a few feet away. "As promised, you can have Wonder Woman for a few minutes before the dances start. But when the music starts, I need her back."

"Lois, it has been a while since we've run into each other. How are you?" Diana asked with genuine affection.

But it was hard not to stare at Clark. Diana had known about his secret identity but had never actually seen Clark be, well, Clark. He stood quietly at Lois' side looking as if he desperately wanted to disappear into the crowd. Even more impressive to Diana was the way that he somehow managed to mask his power, which, when he was Superman, radiated from him. Once the initial shock wore off, Diana found it quite easy to let him remain hidden.

Lois smiled back. "Frankly, we are going to write this from more of a crowd reaction point-of-view, but we did want to talk to you about why you were willing to do this and how you think it will impact people's perception of battered women."

The two women fell into friendly interview for several minutes as Janet took a number of photos before Diana heard the band start playing.

"That's my cue," Diana said as she walked towards the dance floor. "But we can talk afterwards if you need."

Lois waved in response.

The first dance, with the head of a gas company in Metropolis, went by quickly. He had been so completely in awe of Diana that although he walked confidentially onto the dance floor, he seemed afraid to touch her. But despite the awkward start, once the band began and others joined them on the dance floor, he seemed to relax. She learned more in those few minutes about the natural gas industry than she ever thought she would and certainly far more than she cared to. When the music stopped and the pair stopped to applauded, she was ready to move on.

She had known that at some point she was going to see Bruce. That he was going to stride on the floor with the Bruce Wayne grin and she was going to have to pretend that she hadn't been looking forward to that moment for days. She wasn't ready to see him quite so soon so when she did see him walking towards her with a grin and a bit of a swagger, it took all her self control to keep her smile small.

"You probably don't remember me," he said, almost shyly, "but we actually met in Paris at a party a couple of years ago."

She paused, as if considering before she "remembered." "Of course! Bruce Wayne, isn't it? How have you been? Oh, and I flew off without ever finishing the dance. How kind of you to give me another chance."

The music began and the two of them were silent for a moment, holding each other and dancing.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Bruce asked with a grin.

"More than I expected. And you?" she answered, teasing. "What brings you to Metropolis?"

"Oh, I never miss a party but business will call me back to Gotham before too long, I'm afraid."

Half-way through a turn, Diana felt Bruce stiffen slightly and his eyes narrow at something he saw behind her. Before she could ask, he pulled her closer and pressed his lips by her ear. She closed her eyes for a moment, just enjoying feeling both his body and his breath against her skin, knowing full well that she could only enjoy it briefly.

"Cough twice if you are listening, Clark," he whispered. There was an embarrassed beat before the responding coughs.

"Claire seems to be very friendly with Lex tonight," Bruce said. "They are dancing now but before the dancing, they were drinking together while Lois and Diana were talking. Diana, does Claire have access to anything of yours?"

As he spoke, he nuzzled her neck slightly and moved his hand down her back. She responded by moving in a little closer.

"My tiara," she whispered. "But while I would hate to lose it, they can't do much with it."

"They can do something to it. I recommend you don't put it back on until I can really take a look at it. Clark, I am sure you can convince Lois that you need to interview Claire on the dance floor, perhaps keep those two apart for a bit?"

There was an answering cough.

"I don't know what Luthor is up to yet, but he is funding something he doesn't want his stockholders to know about and it is both recent and expensive. I can't imagine we won't know about it soon enough."

Diana nodded.

"Princess? This is doing wonders for my reputation, but perhaps not yours," Bruce said gently. "But before you pull away," he said and kissed her lightly on her neck, underneath her hair.

It took most of her willpower to pull away and move his hand higher up her back. Bruce was the only one who saw her close her eyes in regret as she did it, but he had been right, there were a few giggles from the onlookers when Bruce smiled sheepishly at the rebuke.

The last minutes of their dance were in silence. They stared at each other, with a mix of affection and longing, until the music stopped. Bruce stepped away and kissed her hand.

"You are worth waiting for," he said and made way for the next dancer.

"You too," she whispered before turning her attention to her new partner.

The dances began to blur together for Diana. After Bruce, a couple of the younger men tried to make their own moves and were rebuffed with the grace of a princess and the firm hand of Wonder Woman. At the first break, she tried unsuccessfully to find Bruce. She realized that was probably for the best since she had no idea what she would say to him that could be said in front of the crowd.

She laughed out loud when she saw the look at Clark Kent's face when Claire announced his name and Lois had to give him a shove onto the floor. Clark muttered terrible threats against the Dark Knight for signing him up to dance but then returned to his reporter's role and asked questions that Superman knew the answers to but a reporter would not.

When the music ended, Clark shook her hand and said quietly, "Lex is next. Be careful."

Diana smiled.

Lex Luthor had always been of interest to Diana. He was certainly evil but with a strict code of honor that, even if twisted, was worthy of admiration. Although he was not trustworthy, she believed that he would always keep his word, which again, was worthy of admiration. He smiled warmly at her and she found herself smiling back. While she would stay on her guard, Luthor and the Justice League had established an unspoken truce and Diana would not be the one to break it.

"Good evening, Wonder Woman," Lex said. "I must say, you look divine this evening."

"Thank you, Lex. You look well. I trust looks are not deceiving?"

"No, not at all."

The music started and the pair began to dance. During one rotation, Diana had to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing when she saw Clark glaring at them as if he was forcing himself back so as not to shake Lex apart. As often as his overprotective streak angered Diana, she acknowledged it as a sign of his affection.

"Dipping you," Lex said before doing just that.

She smiled. "So, what have you been doing, Lex?" she asked when she straightened up.

"Ah, you know, a little of this, a little of that. Nothing very interesting, I'm afraid."

"Well, that I don't believe for a second. If there is one thing you aren't, Lex, it is boring."

He laughed. But before he could answer, Diana was aware of a disturbance by the ballroom door. A male voice was yelling and people were clearing out of his way.

"Miranda! Where are you, Miranda?" the voice screamed.

"Excuse me," Diana said to Lex.

"Of course," Lex said and stepped aside.

Since she was trying not to cause a stir until she knew there was a problem, Diana opted to walk over to the entrance where a tall, clearly drunk man, was looking around frantically.

"Miranda? Where are you?" And then he saw Diana and the anger exploded on his face.

"You!" he screamed at her. "You took Miranda away! Where is she! Where?"

Claire appeared at her side. "Miranda is one of our residents," she explained. "He was her boyfriend. I have no idea why he thinks you had anything to do with her leaving though."

Diana nodded. Again, trying to maintain some of the evening for the sake of the shelter she turned towards Claire. "Go get hotel security and the police and have them meet me outside the ballroom. I'll bring him out."

Claire went to the back door of the ballroom, leaving Diana to deal with the party-crasher.

"I don't know where Miranda is," she said honestly. "Perhaps you and I can go outside and see if we can find her."

"No! You are going to tell me where she is! She needs to come home!"

Diana tried to bury her suspicion that he probably had beaten Miranda into leaving for the shelter. Because she really committed to not really hurting him.

"Well, that is clearly something you and she need to discuss. Let's look around and see if we can find her."

"No! You will get her now!" he shouted and pulled out a switch blade.

Diana rolled her eyes. The peaceful solution was clearly not going to work.

"Well, now you are going to have to leave," she said, walking over to him. She grabbed his shirt collar and dragged him out of the ballroom. He hollered and thrashed for a moment, before a mix of the alcohol and the futility of the situation calmed him down.

She felt and ignored a scratch as she got closer to the lobby where she saw hotel security waiting for her. Before handing him over to security, she yanked the knife out of his hand and tossed it to one guards.

She was on her way back to the ballroom when Claire ran up to her.

"Oh, thank you for handling that. I can't believe he just marched in like that but, oh no! You're bleeding!"

"What?" Diana asked and looked at her forearm where, just below the line of her bracelet, there was small cut. She looked at it with some disgust. She hadn't been being careful as she was so determined to get him out with as little fuss as possible and she didn't take care to protect herself. It was foolish.

"Oh, it's nothing," she said but Claire stopped her.

"I'm sure you're right but you don't want to go back in there bleeding. I've got a first aid kit in the back, it'll take two minutes to get you cleaned up and then you can return."

She submitted to Claire's nursing and managed to adjust the bracelet so that very little of the bandage showed.

It was only after the dances were over that she realized that not only had she not finished her dance with Luthor but he had left before she returned to the dance floor.


	6. Friday

Chapter 6: Friday

_You're not the easiest person I ever got to know/And it's hard for us both to let our feelings show_: Sting

Alfred met Batman when he pulled into the cave. It wasn't the first time it had ever happened, but it was rare that Alfred was waiting for him in the cave after a patrol. Alfred usually appeared exactly 15 minutes later with hot tea. Batman suspected there was a reason for the time lag but he never asked. Alfred, more often than not, knew best. Batman jumped out of the Batmobile, the weariness suddenly gone. A threat to the Manor was the worst threat of all. But then, Alfred smiled.

"You have a visitor," he said and led Batman to the study, where Diana was sitting in a chair, sipping tea. She was still in her dress, and she had a small black duffel bag at her feet. She looked tired but Batman was amazed when he thought that somehow she seemed to look right in her surroundings, with the impressive collection of books serving as the room's main visual. She smiled when the two men walked in, put down her tea cup and stood.

Alfred smiled at Diana and then at Batman. "I will leave the two of you alone."

"Did you bring the tiara?" Batman asked.

Diana didn't blink when the tone was all business. She felt the same way – tired from the long day and ready to get to the point.

"I did, but I can see the chip they put on it and would have even if I didn't know to look for it. It doesn't make any sense," she said picking up and handing him the tiara. "It is just too obvious."

He looked at the tiara and just as Diana said, there was a two-inch square chip positioned where it would touch her scalp as soon as she put it on. Although the color of the chip blended well with the gold of the tiara, anyone who looked at it before putting it on would have seen it.

He nodded and turned to return to the Batcave. When Diana didn't follow, he looked back at her.

"Alfred asked me to wait for you, but I am exhausted. I'm not in a hurry to get the tiara back, you can take as much time as you need."

She brushed some ebony hair behind her ear. In the process, Batman saw the bandage.

"What happened to you?"

"Oh, some drunken fool crashed the party and in my attempt to keep from appearing too forceful, he scratched me. Claire insisted she treat it," Diana said lightly.

She was divided on how she had handled the situation. After many dances with men who were clearly afraid of her and the power she represented, she knew that being gentle with the man and creating as little a scene as possible had been the smart move. What hadn't been smart and what she had berated herself for was exposing herself to danger in the process. But she was going to have to work that out with herself.

She picked up her duffel bag and when she straightened up, she found herself looking at a very angry Batman.

"Let me understand this," he growled. "After a discussion about how close Claire Montgomery was with Lex Luthor, you allowed this woman to put something on your open wound?"

"It was a first aid kit – it was antibacterial cream. This is nothing."

"Why don't you let me confirm that?"

Diana sighed. She was tired. She just wanted to go back to the Watchtower and sleep. And the feelings from their dance were still too fresh for her to spend several hours in the Batcave and not be sharp.

"I feel fine. I think the tiara is a bigger priority."

"Damn it, Diana! Let me do this!" Batman snarled.

Diana cocked an eyebrow at him. She was tempted to just ask for transport back to the Watchtower to spite him. But, she rationed, he might be right and it was probably worth delaying sleep another few hours for some peace of mind. Besides, Batman's anger was not going to dissipate until he ran the tests.

"All right. Lead the way," she said blandly as she tossed her duffel bag over her shoulder.

Diana had been in the Batcave a handful of times and never for very long. Each time she entered it, she realized how perfectly it suited Batman. The underground caverns seemed endless and dark, however, the main operating space was well-lit and efficient. The lab equipment was the best money could buy and the computer banks were super-powered and cutting edge. It wasn't cozy by any means, but it was private and quiet and reliable.

Like its master.

Batman hadn't spoken since his outburst and clearly had no intention of doing so. He motioned towards a tall stool and Diana, who realized she was going to get home faster if she just played along, sat down. He grabbed a black leather pouch and a glass slide from a cabinet drawer. Still silently, he pulled the bandage off, cut a tiny piece of skin from next to the scab and prepared the slide. He took a quick look under a microscope and then inserted the slide into a machine, flipped some switches and, satisfied, began to study the tiara.

Diana watched him as he attached some sensors to the tiara's chip. After a few tests, some beeping and a small spark, he turned to her.

"If you had put this on, the voltage would have knocked you out," he said. "But not for long and there would not have been any permanent damage. Perhaps long enough to restrain you but not well. Even if they had transporter technology, you would have revived in mid-transport."

He was talking to her, but Diana got the impression he was using her presence as an excuse to think out loud because he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at the read-outs on the chip.

"I'm going to keep the chip," he said grabbing a pair of pliers from another drawer. "But you can have the tiara back. It is clean except for the chip." He pulled the chip off and tossed the tiara at her, again without a glance in her direction. Diana realized it didn't bother her. He was working and what few niceties he used as Batman went out the window when he was really concentrating.

"Thanks," she said, catching it and putting it in her duffel. "It sounds like this was a Plan B device. But what was Plan A?"

"Not sure yet."

The machine with her tissue sample beeped angrily. Batman hit a few more buttons and then looked at that device's display. He removed the cowl and walked over to her. Suddenly, despite feeling perfectly healthy, Diana was terrified. The expression on his face was one she had never seen before. His eyes were soft, as if something inside had melted them but the lines of his jaw were set firmly as if frozen.

_Oh Hera._

He stopped right in front of her, his thighs touching her calfs.

"You're all right," he said softly.

Relief flooded through her and she closed her eyes and sent a quick prayer of thanks to her goddess.

"Oh good," she said.

"You're all right," he repeated, this time in a whisper.

And then he kissed her. Softly at first, putting one hand on each side of her face. But when she responded, he moved, burying one hand in her hair and wrapping the other arm around her waist. The kiss also intensified becoming almost punishing in its pressure and need.

He broke off the kiss long enough to whisper in her ear. "Come upstairs with me," he said huskily.

The warrior told her she had won. This was her moment to strike. To demand that he commit to something – a relationship or not having a relationship. She had the advantage and she knew she should press it.

But she wanted him. She wanted to go upstairs with him. She wanted the moment. If Sunday came and he never said anything, she wanted the memory.

So, she engaged a different battle and to answer him, she wrapped her legs around his waist and pressed herself against him.


	7. Saturday

Chapter 7: Saturday

_It would be better to be cool/It's not time to be open just yet/A lesson once learned is so hard to forget_: Sting

The call on the communicator was from an unlikely person.

"Bats?" the voice said, almost timid.

"Yes, Flash?" He hated that nickname but decided to let it slide.

"Remember how you told me to call you if anything weird happened?"

"Yes."

"Okay, well, I'm calling."

Batman knew that he worked hard to try to intimidate people and, yes, sometimes he did enjoy giving the young speedster something to worry about, but there were times when he wished that Flash would get over his nerves and get to the point.

"Yes."

There was a pause and Batman hung his head.

"What is the weird thing you are calling me about?" he asked.

"Well, Sally Post, a thief in Central City, just flew away from her last crime. She doesn't fly. I mean, before today. And, well, if the security tapes are right, she's gotten really strong, really fast."

"Meta strong?"

"'Friad so. Weird, huh?"

"Yes. I'm on my way," Batman said and disconnected.

It was several hours before his usual Gotham patrol started but Batman had been in the Batcave since that was the place he did his best thinking. The chip on Diana's tiara was still nagging at him. Diana was right – it was a 'plan B' tactic that clearly hadn't been needed.

_So what the hell was Plan A? _

And that is where he got stuck. There was something obvious he was missing. Although Diana clearly had thought he was wrong, he was convinced that it had something to do with the party crasher. It seemed like a diversion tactic but to divert who from what?

It would have to wait, he thought as he headed for the Batplane. Now he had to deal with a meta-power developing criminal.

_Oh no. That can't be…oh crap. It is. _

He turned back on his communicator as he added some additional equipment to his utility belt.

"Flash!"

"Yeah?"

"Did Post leave any DNA at the scene?"

"Ah, dunno. I've been cleaning up the surrounding mess – lots of glass. I'll find out."

"Get me some if she did and be careful with it."

"Sure. Okay."

"I'm getting in the Batplane now," Batman said and signed off. As soon as he reached his desired cruising altitude, he called into the Watchtower. J'onn answered.

"Who's available" Batman asked curtly.

"For Flash's flying thief? Is it more than he can handle?" J'onn asked smoothly.

"We need a flyer," Batman answered quickly. He hated to admit needing help, but then again, if someone had suddenly developed the ability to fly that was going to become the preferred mode of travel.

"I'll have Wonder Woman meet you in Central City," J'onn replied and disconnected.

Batman smiled. With any other member, J'onn would have spoken more, but the Martian and the Dark Knight understood each other. They could, and did, respect and admire each other without bothering with social niceties, which neither of them excelled at.

_Wonder Woman_, he thought with a broader smile. She had been called away for a mission the previous afternoon after spending several perfect hours together. Granted during most of those hours they had both been asleep but he had enjoyed waking up and finding her curled up against him. It actually was probably for the best that duty called her away, Batman realized. A lot of things were left unsaid that, well, might be better left that way.

He used Flash's communicator to determine where in Central City they were assembling. He found Flash and Wonder Woman talking to several police officers in the street, so he landed the Batplane on the roof of the building and swung down on a batarang. It was a little dramatic but he respected that this was Flash's city and wanted to be visible, at least initially.

The other two members nodded their acknowledgement of his arrival but continued to listen to the police officer. Only Batman saw and understood Diana's blush when she saw him.

"There is no evidence of any devices to help her at all. And the tape confirms that. She broke through the window, ripped the safe door off, took the jewels and flew away. Normally with her, we would be sending in the paramedics after she went through the window. The rest of it, well, I would have said it was impossible. I'll let you know when else we turn up. "

"That was my take as well. Thanks, Lieutenant for everything," Flash said. "And oh, thanks for the sample." He handed a small plastic vial with a small piece of bloody glass to Batman. "She skinned her knee on some glass. But only the smallest amount. I can't explain this one at all."

Batman leaned against the building wall and began to run a few tests on the sample. He wanted to be wrong but he really didn't think he was.

"Sometimes a freak accident leads to powers. It could be as simple as that," Diana said. "You may never know exactly what caused them."

"You did," Batman said.

"What?" Diana and Flash said almost in unison.

"Princess, someone has been using your DNA as a power boost." He paused but didn't refrain from the dig. "You should be careful who handles your blood."

Diana glared at him but Flash beat her to a response.

"Okay, that doesn't even begin to make sense. How did Wondy's DNA get into Sally's system?"

Batman glared at Flash. He didn't have time to review the finer points of DNA mutation with the speedster. Or, at least Sally didn't.

"Later. We need to find Sally. Now."

"That can't be hard," Diana said and began to levitate towards the rooflines. "Flash, Sally can suddenly steal anything she wants – no matter what the security. Where would she go?"

Flash paused to consider. "Burger Mania."

"Where is it?" Diana asked, ready to engage the battle.

Flash smiled at her. He was sure he was right, but he had been sure that both Batman and Wonder Woman would think he was thinking with his stomach again. Instead, both of them were acknowledging that Central City was his turf. It was nice.

_They may not always treat me like an adult,_ he thought, _but they don't always treat me like a kid either. _

"Follow me," he grinned. "I'll go slowly." And disappeared in a red streak. Diana gave an inquiring look back at Batman.

"Go!" he said pulling out a batarang.

Burger Mania headquarters was the top six floors of a silver skyscraper in the center of downtown. At the top of the tower, unlit during the day, was a neon logo of the huge burger franchise.

The three regrouped at the base of the building.

"The first time Sally got caught," Flash explained, "was when she was 17 years old and tried to break into a Burger Mania near her house. Since then, of course, she has moved on to bigger stuff, but I think, given a chance to really trash the headquarters, she would take it."

"Princess, check the roof while Flash and I confer with security," Batman barked.

Diana took to the sky. When she reached the top, she saw a young woman wearing a pair of spandex grey pants, a black tank top and a hooded sweat shirt that matched the pants. Her dark hair was pulled back into a tight bun. She looked perfectly ordinary; expect that she was hovering about six inches above the rooftop. Diana landed about 10 feet from her. She made sure her communicator was activated before she spoke.

"Sally?" Diana asked.

The woman turned to face her. Her green eyes were shining with joy but she was very pale. The effort was clearly draining her.

"You can't stop me," Sally said darkly. "I am as strong as you are. I can do what you can do."

"Trust me. I can stop you," Diana said evenly. She found herself hoping that Sally wasn't just cocky, that she really was that strong. A really good, strenuous fight sounded like fun.

"_Princess,"_ Batman's voice came through the communicator. _"Do not fight her. She needs help. Her system can't be stable."_

Diana didn't have time to respond. Sally flew at her and punched her in the stomach. Diana fell backwards but, sprung back upright in a huge arc, kicking Sally in the chest as she returned to a standing position.

And with that, the battle began.

Batman was standing next to Flash in the CEO of Burger Mania's office. Flash was trying to explain the importance of evacuating the building to a man who was clearly more concerned about what a thief might make off with if given the chance than personal safety.

"I have stock certificates and trade secrets in locations around this building! I am not leaving them unprotected!" the CEO said firmly, leaning over his desk at the two Justice League members.

Batman swore quietly under his breath and left Flash to protest that three Justice League members were on hand to personally protect the people and materials of Burger Mania. He stepped outside the CEO suite to where the executive assistant was sitting. He looked at Batman with recognition and awe.

"Everyone needs to leave this building now," Batman snarled. "Tell them to go."

"I need to hear that from Mr. Allen," came the reply. The words were strong, but the voice was a little more than a squeak.

Batman channeled all his intimidation training into one look. "Tell them to go. Now."

The assistant's face paled and his eyes widen.

"Yes. Yes. Of course. The building will be empty in 15 minutes," he said as he picked up the phone.

Batman turned his back to the assistant and smiled so that no one could see. Sometimes it was good to know who was in charge.

Just then there was a loud thud above them and the building shook slightly from the aftermath. A woman screamed in anger.

_Damn_, he swore and returned to the CEO suite. Mr. Allen suddenly seemed willing to leave – especially since a ceiling tile had fallen out of the ceiling and landed about five feet from where he was standing.

"Flash," he said and motioned above.

"Sure! Right! The roof access is by the elevator shaft," he said and the two of them headed back to the lobby and up to the roof.

They arrived just in time to watch Diana flip Sally on her back and put the ball of her foot lightly on Sally's chest.

"This time, stay down," Diana said firmly.

Sally was panting too hard to do anything other then agree. Diana realized that it had been a real fight, but Sally was breathing too hard.

_Something is not right_, she thought and stepped off of Sally. The other woman just continued to lie there, gasping as if drowning.

Batman raced over to them and knelt beside Sally.

"I said, don't fight her," he growled without looking at Diana.

"I didn't. I just kept her from fighting me," she snarled back. She had done just that and it was a major disappointment. Sally clearly had no formal training in fighting, at least with the strength she now possessed, but her instincts had been good. It would have been a great fight if Diana had decided to ignore the Dark Knight.

He ignored her and directed Flash to get the paramedics and the police. They responded quickly and before long, the three were watching silently as the paramedics carted off a still-panting Sally, who was handcuffed to the gurney. Flash had finished talking with the Central City police regarding the recovery of the jewels taken from the earlier crime.

Finally, after the ambulance doors closed and vehicle rolled away, Flash turned to the other two members.

"So, Wondy's blood is the new street drug, huh?" he asked.

Diana glared at him. Batman turned to him.

"I think someone is trying to figure out a way to pick and choose meta powers with DNA mutation. So, be careful where you bleed, Flash," he said and then, with the help of a batarang, flew back to the Batplane and returned to Gotham.

Several hours later, Flash sent a general announcement to the Justice League members. Sally had managed to escape from the hospital. No one knew how, especially because she had only recently been stabilized. In fact, although the video surveillance cameras showed nothing – not even her leaving – it was agreed that there was no way she could have left under her own power.

At hearing the news, Batman opened up his communicator. "She was a failed experiment," he said darkly. "We won't hear from her again."


	8. Sunday morning

Chapter 8 – Sunday Morning

_If I should seek immunity/And love you with impunity/Then the only thing to do/Is for me to pledge myself to you_: Sting

It had been a long evening. J'onn and Superman had met Diana when she returned to the Watch Tower where she had spent hours discussing Claire Montgomery, Lex Luthor, how much blood they possibly could have and the best way to handle the situation moving forward with the two. Batman had been called for an occasional opinion, but he was on patrol and was not willing to be bothered.

The general agreement was that there was nothing that could be proven. All the members of the League needed to be more careful in case there was a strange hunt for meta DNA. However, as long as members were treated in the Watch Tower, there would not be a lot to get around. Superman gave her a small lecture about Luthor and what he was capable of but even he lost heart after a few minutes when he could see Diana was hurting over it.

Diana returned to her room feeling like a fool on many levels. She had trusted Claire despite Batman's warning and at least one woman had suffered for it. Sally had enjoyed her powers, there was no denying that, but she also was not able to handle them. She sent a quick prayer to the gods that wherever Sally was, she was getting help. Diana also, without looking at her clock, knew it was only a few hours until the 2am deadline and there had been no word from Batman.

She wondered for a moment why she was surprised. She had several opportunities to push him – Friday being the most obvious – and she hadn't taken them. She had let the moment and the desire override her instincts. Her plan had failed her because Batman was going to be on patrol when the clock struck 2am. He would say nothing and she would have to start the process of transitioning him back to a teammate in her mind.

_Which I will do, because I said I would_, she thought grimly. _And he is just one man. _

The communicator on the Batmobile beeped.

"Yes, Alfred," Batman said, tersely.

"Master Bruce, I wanted to alert you of the time. It is 1:15am."

"The clock appears to be working then. Thank you, Alfred."

"Sir, may I remind you…."

"No," he said, cutting the man off. "First of all I don't need the reminder. Second of all, this is the third time you've called tonight to tell me the time."

"Very good sir," Alfred said and disconnected.

_Funny how he says 'very good, sir' but really what he is saying is 'you are a total ass,'_ Batman thought. He had plenty of time. His patrol was progressing nicely – a few small crimes deterred but no major crime sprees.

Plenty of time. He knew what he wanted to do anyway.

She had gone and gotten an iced mocha – the caffeine wouldn't keep her awake – but the cafeteria was painfully empty so Diana was not able to distract herself with idle conversation. A workout was another option, but a really good workout would keep her awake. Besides, she didn't have enough time. She wanted to be in her room at 2am so that there was no question about what happened when the deadline hit.

When she walked in, there is a beeping on her room console. She had a message. A private message.

It was 1:45am.

Her heart lurched however, she maintained her control and walked slowly to the console and retrieved her message.

"Princess," came the voice. "I am recording this Monday morning in response to your note. I am assuming that if you are watching this, then circumstances have not been such that we could talk."

Diana closed her eyes. Monday?! Oh, she was going to have to kill him.

Batman's voice continued. "There is nothing that makes me retract my earlier reasons about why a relationship would be a bad idea. I am still right about all three reasons. I have a lot of issues, enemies could use a relationship to their advantage and it could hurt the team."

She smiled. He had changed his reason about enemies. They were just "his enemies" now. Apparently her objection to that had its impact.

"That being said," he continued. "I want to be with you. I want to see what can come of a relationship. You are one of a few people who know both Bruce Wayne and Batman and seem to like them both. That is fascinating to me."

She smiled again.

"A relationship between us has to be secret. I can't risk people connecting Batman and Bruce through you. The League members also cannot know. There are too many of them and we can't control who they will tell. If we do this, you know, I know and that's it. Perhaps forever, certainly at the start."

_Alfred knows_, she thought lightly.

The smile faded. Diana knew he would say that but still, she heard it as a lack of trust in her and it hurt.

"I don't know what has happened between the time I have recorded this and the time you hear it. It may be that I have scared you off. You may realize that a relationship with me is difficult and you have changed your mind. However, if you are still interested, I will be back from patrol Sunday at 2am. We can discuss this in detail, or whatever else you need."

The audio paused for a moment.

"Diana, I hope you stop by," he said in a gruff tone that reminded him of their night together.

She laughed in triumph. How typical of him to turn her challenge into on of his own. So that it was her choice in the end. That she would have to make the move. How perfectly, well, Batman!

She managed to not run to the transport room but the smile on her face was beyond her control.

When she entered the Batcave, it was 1:59am.


End file.
